Winx Club Next Generation: Prince of Ice
by Lilgemini0f93
Summary: Flora's daughter Violet falls in love with a hot guy from Redfountain named Ian. There's just one problem-he's Icy's son; can their love find a way or will hatred seperate them? Sequel to The New Generation of Winx story 1
1. Violet

**Chapter One**

Hello, my name is Violet and I'm a fairy. I am the daughter of Flora, Winx guardian fairy of Linthea, and Helia. I'm sure you all know my friends are the Winx's daughters; there's Isabelle, Rachel, Melody, Nicole, and of course, Cheyenne. We won a battle against our moms' arch enemies, the Trix; they sent a shadow called Madea infiltrate Alfea as a transfer student and kidnap Isabelle. I was so worried about her but I'm glad she's alright now because the two of us are like sisters and I love her as if we really were. We haven't seen the witches since; Ms. Faragonda thinks they are plotting their next move. They must have been really ticked off when we beat them.

So things had been pretty normal; normal for us, that is. School was going well and there didn't seem to be any problems. Except that we sometimes fought because we had to share the same space, and Rachel had a GINORMOUS wardrobe, and I had my art supplies, and Melody had her music stuff. We would argue, and then either Isabelle or Cheyenne would break us up, and we wouldn't speak to each other for the next half hour. It was a lot like brother and sister arguing over something like a toy or whatever, and then their mom or dad coming in to seperate them. So it really was just like a family, with all of us living together in the same dorm.

Now about boys; I had wanted a boyfriend ever since I saw Izzy (Isabelle) get together with her brother's roommate Tulio. They deny it, but all of us consider them a couple; they have gone out to see a few movie and had lunch together on more than one occasion. Whenever I ask her about it, Isabelle just blushes and looks away, which only confirms my suspicions of her being more than friends with the guy. Seeing the two of them together had made me start thinking about finding a boyfriend myself; my Mom said I was too young but I didn't think so. I thought about having a boyfriend but I never realized what kind of guy would be perfect for me...until I met a certain boy named Ian.


	2. Meeting Ian

Meeting Ian

So I'm an artist and I love to draw. Both my dad and I like to draw with "antiques" as Nicole calls it, which means using a pencil and paper. It just feels like you're doing it right when you do it by hand so in my free time I draw and this is what I was doing one late afternoon when a hand suddenly snatched away my drawing pad.

"Hey!" I protested; Rachel held my pad away with one hand.

"You're drawing again? You have a life, you know, and I won't let you waste it behind a silly piece of paper," she said.

"Just give it back, I'm not finished," I made a grab for the pad but Rachel tossed onto the couch.

"Finish it later; it's time to get ready to go," she said as she pulled me out of my seat.

"Go where?" I had no clue what she was talking about.

"Don't tell me you forgot about the rock concert tonight; all of us are going to see the bands play. Melody's been talking about it all week," she said.

"Oh yeah," Now I remembered.

"The boys are coming too; now hurry and get ready, darling; we're leaving in thirty minutes." With that she ran off into the bathroom, probably to put on her makeup. I picked up my drawing pad; a unfinished sketch of Concorda, the Archive Pixie, was on the first page. I closed the pad and went into my room; I picked out a purple top with a V-shape neck; a ruffled black skirt line with pink lace; and black boots. As soon I got dressed I heard Rachel's voice calling asking if I was ready. After running my fingers through a little, I joined my friends in the main room and followed them out the door. Melody was ahead of all of us; as Rachel said, she was looking forward to the concert all week long. Magix was throwing a concert that night that was featuring a bunch of bands that some we've heard of and some that we hadn't. Now Melody is a rock'n'roll fanatic and always takes the opportunity to go see a concert. Usually only a few of us go with her when she goes but this time she insisted we all go because we needed to "experience real taste in music." None of us had bad taste in music but Melody insisted we go anyway.

The boys (that's Tulio, Isabelle's brother Keith, Rachel's brother Steven, and Melody's brother Joel) picked us up in their squad ship, which seemed unnecessary to some but not us since there were a lot of us. We were surprised to see a fifth boy; he had short, spiky white hair, icy blue eyes, and the same age as the other boys. And he was cute, really cute.

"This is Ian," Steven put a his hand on the boy's shoulder. "He's a new student at Red Fountain; he doesn't know the city very well so we decided to invite him to see the concert."

"Nice to meet you, Ian; I'm Isabelle, and this Rachel, Violet, Melody, Nicole, and Cheyenne," Isabelle gestured to each of us. Ian gave a nod, grunted, and looked out the window of the ship. All of us shared a look that said _'what the heck?' _Keith went over to us and said in a low tone of voice: "Don't take it personally; Ian's not exactly Prince Charming, and he hardly speaks to anyone."

"You're damn right he's not Prince Charming," Melody muttered under her breath.

"Well, shall we get going?" Keith headed over to the pilot's seat and we were off. Isabelle sat next to Tulio; Cheyenne sat next to Steven, exchanging small talk and flirtatious smiles, much to the chagrin of Rachel; Nicole sat next to Joel while trying her very best not to look at him; Rachel next to Keith; and Melody and I sat together. I looked over at Ian, who was still looking out the window. He suddenly turned his head and our eyes met; a chill went down my spine as I looked into them. They looked so cold, yet somehow...lonely. He then glared at me and I looked away; I glanced over at him a few times while the ship made its way to the city center of Magix. A huge crowd of people gathered in the streets in front of a large stadium set up in the town square. We squeezed into the crowd and the show soon began; the first was an all-girl band called Pixie's Kiss and they were one of the best in the concert in my opinion; their songs were fantastic. Following Pixie's Kiss was The Black Wizards, and then Deep Sea Dive. I stopped paying attention to who was playing and just listened to the music halfway through the concert; all of us seemed having a good time and Melody was the one who was enjoying herself the most. I guessed that she would memorize all the bands names and their songs by heart by the end of the night; the girl's got just the brain to store music in. During the concert break, we went to get drinks and sat down chatting. I suddenly noticed that Ian wasn't in our group and spotted him sitting from us, looking like he wasn't enjoying himself at all. For some reason, I decided to go over to him and see what was wrong. Taking my drinking with me, I walked over to him.

"Are you okay?" I asked gently.

Ian looked up at me and scowled. "Don't worry about me; you don't need to pretend to actually care if I'm around."

"You just seemed..lonely," I said.

"It's none of your business," he said. "Just leave me alone, ok? I don't need your sympathy."

He turned away so his back was facing me; I scoffed and went back over to my table where my friends sat. I guess they must have seen what had gone on because Steven said. "I know you were just trying to be nice, Violet, but there's no point. Ian's that sort of guy who gives people the cold shoulder and pushes away anyone who tries be friends with him."

"Why did he agree to come with us?" Cheyenne said.

"It took some convincing but I think he just wanted to get away from school," Steven said. "I doubt he had any intention of actually hanging out with us."

"Do you know where he went to school before coming to Red Fountain?" Rachel asked; she likes getting the details which seem important if inquiring about someone.

"Nope, no one does, not even the teachers," said Keith. "They don't even know which realm he's from."

"Probably the realm that's coldest," Melody said.

I looked back over at Ian; he had the same look in his eyes as the one on the ship. The aura around him gave off a strange light; one that I couldn't exactly read. I don't know what but something intrigued me about this boy, and I was anxious to learn his secrets.


	3. Girl Chat

Chapter 3: Girl Chat

A week after the concert the girls and I had a slumber part on Friday night. We hadn't had a night like this since the Trix attacked and kidnapped Isabelle. We gathered in the middle of the room, lay on large cushions, and passed around popcorn, chocolate ice cream, and gossip. It was the best remedy if any of us had a fight or suffered heartache. Back in junior high, we had six sleepovers at Rachel's place, whenever a boy dumped her; it always made everything better. We also did silly dares like eat a whole scoop of ice cream in one bite and such. Cheyenne was now doing this; she took the whole scoop with her mouth wide open and swallowed. She let out a small cry and massaged her temples while the rest of us laughed.

"Ugh, why does everyone keep on making that stupid dare?" She groaned.

"Because we like to see the reaction, right?" Isabelle said; the rest of us nodded.

"Remember when Rachel took the dare?" Melody asked. "She had a migraine that lasted for two days!"

We laughed as Rachel scowled. "And it hurt, too," she mumbled.

Isabelle checked her watch. "Whoa, almost 1 am.; we better get to bed now."

I stood up. "I want to get some air first."

The other girls nodded and then we said good-night. I walked out onto the balcony and gazed at the stars in the dark blue sky. I did this often before I went to bed, because it was relaxing.

"Hey, Violet?" A voice popped up. I saw Isabelle coming out.

"What's up?" I asked her.

"I just felt like watching the stars with you," she sat across from me, gazing at the stars.

"Which one do you think is Sparks?" I asked

"I think that one, farthest to the East, just below the moon," she said.

"Then the one three stars away is Linthea," I said.

"Do you miss your home, V?" Isabelle asked.

"Sometimes; do you miss yours?" I asked.

"Not my home particularly, but my mom and dad, yes,"she replied. "I wonder if I'll see them soon."

"Yeah, I miss my family, too," I thought about my mom and dad who were on Linthea. "But I have you guys and that's good enough for me."

Isabelle smiled, reached across, and took my hand in hers. "Me,too," she said. "Though I wish..." Her voice trailed off and I smirked. "Thinking about Tulio?"

Her cheeks turned bright red. "N-no! Why would you say that? I wasn't...thinking about him at all."

I giggled. "Izzy, I think it's obvious you two don't want to be friends."

"I can't really say, but I know we care about each other," she said. "Tulio's just so sweet and gentle; kind of pacifist but also a fighter if he has no choice. Keith is against it, but you're right; I think we do want to be more than friends"

"I think it's nice you found someone who cares about you that way," I said.

"And what way is that?" she asked.

"You know, a romantic attraction between you two; the kind of bond you can't really share with your friends," I said. Isabelle looked at me intently.

"Do you want to share that, Violet?" she asked.

I nodded. "Someday and I hoped I find someone who is romantic as I am."

"Well, you certainly like romantic things, like music and art," Isabelle said. "I think you deserve someone who will make you feel special."

"You guys already DO make me feel special," I said as I hugged her. "C'mon, we better get to bed."

"Oh, I'm not done talking to you yet," she said. "V, I have to know; you're not interested in that Ian guy, are you?"

Ian. I had thought about him a few times after we met. I gave my answer some thought but I spoke.

"Not romantically, not, but in different sense," I said. "I just have feeling about him, Izzy, like he's not who he seems to be. I find it kind of interesting."

"Just be careful," she said. "He seems to ME like bad news; the way he talked and treated us at the concert certainly proved that he does not want to on civil terms with us."

There was a lot of caution in her voice; I could tell she was serious about this, as if she just knew something was going on.

"Why are you being so paranoid?" I asked.

"I also have a weird feeling," she said. "It's like the one I had when I met Madea; I knew there was something about her that wasn't good, and I was right. I've had the same feeling with Ian as well."

"So you think that Ian's got some sort of darkness in him?" I asked. I hadn't thought about that; I just thought that he was different.

"Maybe, I'm not real sure," Isabelle shrugged. "Maybe I am just being paranoid; I mean, I still have nightmares from when I was being beaten by Madea and held hostage by the Trix."

I smiled. "I have just the remedy for that," I linked arms with her. "C'mon, I'll fix you some herbal tea that is guarantee to prevent any nightmares."

"That would be great," she smiled back. "But even if I might be wrong, I want you to watch your step around Ian."

"Yeah, yeah," I waved it off, though I took her words seriously; I learned to always trust your best friend when it came to these things.


	4. The Bookstore

Chapter 4: The Bookstore

On a sunny weekend the girls decided to go the beach while I decided to check a new bookstore in Magix. I get really self-concious about boys seeing me in a bathing suit and my friends knew this so they didn't bother too much trying to persuade me to join them. I rode the bus from school to downtown where I heard the bookstore from one of our classmates. Aside from drawing, I love to read, especially fictional stories and books on poetry. Our classmate, Regina, told me that they had a wide selection of different genres due to an old library being closed down and I really wanted to see it. As soon as I got off the bus I headed in the direction Regina told me where the store was. I passed by many people; the city was almost always full. Aside from the people, there's shops, theaters, markets, and restuarants. I thought that maybe I should have invited Rachel and Melody to come with me since they both like shopping but they like the beach just as much. Besides, it would just take more time with them wanting to check out the stores.

I found my destination, Lefaul's Bookshop, within a ten-minute walking distance from the bus stop. It was a regular size building with big glass windows showing the inside, where tall wooden shelves held books of all size and color, and books that had taken out of the shelves were magically putting themselves back into place. As I went inside, I smelled a strong scent of pine in the air; a girl about three years older than me with strawberry blond hair in two pigtails was behind a big wooden counter, yelling at three boys who looked a year older than me to stop messing around. They were laughing loudly, making stupid remarks, and running their dirty hands all over the shelves and the walls. They stopped as they saw me come in and just stood there looking at me.

The girl sighed with relief. "Can I help you find something?" She addressed me in the most polite tone of voice.

"No thank you; I'd just like to look around," I replied. "Where you do keep the fiction books?"

"In the back row," she said pointing the direction. I nodded thank you and walked to the back where I found all kinds of different fictional tales of which I had never heard or read before, all arranged alphabetically by title. I scanned the shelves and found three books that sounded interesting and were a good price. I tucked them under my arm and stood looking at the shelf, admiring the display and think I'd like to buy another book some other time.

"How's it going, sweet thing?" A voice behind my asked. I turned to see one of the three boys from the front of the store leaning on the shelf and smiling at me. His two friends came up from my other side, also smiling at me; they were all dressed in black and wore skull caps and chain necklaces.

"And what's your name, sweetheart?" One of the friends asked.

"Violet" I said plainly.

"Cool, I'm Skeeter, and these are my boys Troy and Liam" The one behind me said.

"Well, nice to meet you but I have to go now," I said.

"Not so fast," Skeeter stopped me. "So what's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this, huh?"

"Why not hang out with us for awhile?" Troy asked.

I didn't like how they talked or looked at me. "Thanks, but now thanks; now if you don't mind..." I tried to walk past them but they blocked me and moved in closer.

"Aw, don't be like that," Skeeter said. "We're not such bad guys; you might even come to like us if you give us the chance, sugar."

I glared. "I said no, leave me alone."

They just laughed and moved closer, surrounding me in a tight circle. Liam reached out to touch me and I was about to cast a spell that would give them warts when another voice came up.

"What are you punks think you doing?"

We all turned and saw Ian in his Redfountain hero jacket scowling at the three boys who were around me.

Skeeter glared at him. "None of your dang business, ya creep."

"I can't stand when a girl is being harassed by a bunch of losers like you," Ian said with his fist clenched and a really scary look on his face. I felt a chill go down my spine and saw each of the boys shrink back when they saw his face.

"Now beat it before I give you the bruising of a lifetime," he said.

"What is going on back here?" The cashier girl appeared and saw the boys standing around me and saw the look on my face, which probably was the reason for what she did next.

"You three, get out of here and don't come back," she said. "Or I WILL call the manager."

Skeeter scoffed. "Whatever, let's beat," he beckoned for Troy and Liam to follow him; the sound of the door opening and shutting announced their departure.

"Are you alright, miss?" The girl asked and lightly touched my shoulder.

"Yes, I'm fine," I said and held up the books I picked out. "I'd like to have these, please."

"I'll ring them up," she took them from me; I nodded as she went to the front of the store and turned back to Ian to thank him and ask why he defended me but I found no one in his place. Puzzled, I went to the counter, where the cashier girl gave me a discount on my books as a way of apologizing to me for being harassed in the store. As I left, there was Ian, sitting on his bike and watching the streets. Despite what happened the last time I approached him, I still went over to him and again he saw me but pretended not to notice me.

"I just wanted to say thanks, for helping me in there," I said to him. He nodded in response.

"Why'd you do it?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Beats me; you're not my friend or anything but like I said, I can't stand punks picking on a girl like that."

I paused before asking. "Why were you in there anyway? Are you into reading?"

He looked at me. "So what if I am?"

I smiled. "Then that's something we have in common.

He scoffed. "I think there's very little WE have in common."

I frowned. "How can you say that? You don't even know who I am."

"Your name is Violet, right?" He asked. "What else is there to know?"  
I placed my hands on my hips. "There's a lot to know about person than just their name."

"Like what?" He asked but I was finished with this guy.

"Forget it," I said. "I got to get back to school."

"I can give you a ride," he said.

Now I was confused. "Where did that come from?"

"I'm on my way back to school as well; Alfea's along the way." he said. "Look, it's not like I'm trying to be friendly or anything, but I just think it's faster than riding the bus."

He was right. I decided to give in and take up his offer. I climbed on behind him on the bike and strapped a helmet on. As he started off, I held lightly to his sides and the wind began to pick up. I had rode on a levabike before so I wasn't nervous or anything. I like the sensation of the wind blowing through my hair and watching the scenery fly past in a quickened pace. But something felt different when riding with Ian, like a princess riding behind her knight in shining armor on his white horse. But Ian was no knight; maybe a knight in training but not one who go on saving damsels in distress. Even if he did save me from those jerks, he was still a jerk himself. Yet there something about that that I liked; the fact he was different from what you expect your average knight in shining armor to be made me somewhat relieved for some reason. Like I was glad he was different; it was interesting and my curiosity in him suddenly became stronger.

We finally reached Alfea and he dropped me off right outside the building. I got off and handed him the extra helmet.

"Thanks," I said; he nodded in response. I paused for a second. "You know, we may have more in common than you think."

Ian looked at me through his helmet visor, then shook his head. "Whatever," he said as he started up the levabike and took off. I watched as he sped away and disappeared in the woods.


	5. The Race

The Race

The Redfountain guys invited a bunch of us girls from Alfea to their Annual School Exhibition. We were excited to see the dragons, the combat fights, and most of all the levabike race. Keith and Steven were going to be in the dragon show, and Joel and Tulio were in the archery and spear tournament. It was a clear, sunny day, perfect for the events that were to take place. Many of the Royal of the magic dimension would be there as well. It was a great honor to represent the school to the top V. and no doubt some of our parents were there. Isabelle hoped to see hers before the show started but it took a long time to get to our seats and the bell rang soon after we did so she didn't have time.

"Oh well," she sighed. "I guess I'll see them the next time I go home."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll get to see them after the show."

She gave me a sad smile. "They have a really busy schedule this month, planning our kingdom's 21st Anniversary. I'm surprised they managed to squeeze the exhibition in."

"Hey, if they can do that then I'm sure they can spare a few minutes for their lovely daughter," Rachel said.

"Quiet, you guys; the headmaster's coming out now," Cheyenne said in a hushed tone.

We watched and listened as Headmaster Krone came out to the middle of the arena. Saladin, the old headmaster and my great uncle, had retired recently to his home planet and Krone was made Headmaster. He's not a wizard like Uncle Saladin but he's something of a living legend in dragon wrangling and the way of the spear, and was a student at Redfountain himself. Krone gave the welcoming speech on how proud he was of the school and what an honor it was to present to the Royal of the magic dimension. As soon as he left the arena, the dragon show began. We watched Keith, Steven, and two other boys walk out as four different colored dragons entered the arena. The main idea was demonstrating the technique of controlling the dragon with one's mind. Supposedly it's rather difficult but from the stands it looked pretty easy. Keith and Steven were practically masters and naturals with their dragons responding to their mental commands. After the dragon show came the archery tournament which Tulio was in. Isabelle smiled brightly as she saw him walk out with four other students, armed with a bow and quiver of arrows. They each stood twenty feet away from a ringed target and readied their weapons. They were allowed five shots; Tulio's hit the second ring twice, and the bulls eye three times with the last arrow barely hitting the edge of the circle. He came in second with another student, who was a junior, in first and the other three in third, fourth, and last. Isabelle was still clapping as he left the arena. Next came the spear tournament where Joel was faced off with a senior; both of them displayed great skill but in the end Joel's opponent claimed victory. Joel walked off in a huff; no doubt he thought he'd win, even if his opponent was a senior.

Melody shook her head. "It's just like Joel to get overly confident in his skills; he's like Dad that way."

After the spear tournament came the levabike race which none of our boys were in but we loved watching the race. We were surprised to see Ian among the racers.

"I didn't know Ian was racing," Isabella said.

"I don't believe any of us knew that but it's not as if he's told anything," Nicole said.

"I think he has a chance; I mean, he did give me a ride that other day," I froze as the last words left my mouth; I hadn't told them about that.

"HE gave YOU a ride?" Rachel gaped.

"He was on his way to school and Alfea was along the way," I explained. "We just thought it was easier faster than taking the bus."

"Well, is he any good?" Melody asked.

I shrugged. "He knew what he was doing and the ride was pretty smooth. So that's why I think he may have a chance."

The bikers readied themselves and lined together side by side at the start line. The arena was set up like an obstacle course with zig-zagging posts, flaming hoops, and high ramps. The ref blew his whistle and the riders were off; Ian started in fourth place, then zoomed his way to third, second, and was suddenly tied with the lead. They sped through the obstacles as if they were a breeze and only a few slowed them down. I was impressed with the way Ian rode his bike; he looked almost professional, like a senior, and he was only a sophomore. He and the other rider were still tied when they got close to the finish line. It was a close call but Ian pulled ahead at the last second and came in first with the other guy in second. I

"Wow, he IS good," Melody said.

"I wonder how he got to be that good," Rachel said.

"It takes more than a few years of training to ride that well," said Nicole. "He must have had a lot of experience."

I watched Ian glide his bike out of the arena and then the final bell rang which signaled the end of the show. Headmaster Krone came out again to thank everyone for coming and he hoped they would come again next time. Once everyone got up to leave the stadium Rachel took hold of Isabelle's hand.

"Well, want to go see if we can catch up to dead Mom and Dad?" She asked her. Isabelle barely had time to answer when Rachel began pulling her out of her seat and out to the back of the arena with the rest of us following behind. We knew Rachel really wanted an excuse to see Keith and congratulate him on his performance; Cheyenne probably wanted to see Steven and Nicole wanted to comfort Joel. Luckily we caught up to King Sky and Queen Bloom just as they were giving Keith and the others props. Isabelle happily ran over to them along with Rachel and Cheyenne who were beaming at the boys. Nicole smiled gently at Joel and complimented that she thought he did great and he should have won. I just stood against the wall watching everyone and I suddenly heard the sound of angry voices coming from my right. I turned my head and saw Ian standing by his bike and the guy who came in second in the race barking at him and shoving him. I moved close enough to hear what they were saying.

"I know you flipped me off out there, Ian!" The guy barked and pushed Ian's shoulder. "What you did was totally dirty racing!"

Ian glared at him. "You're just mad because you lost; don't get all mad at me for pulling ahead first!"

The other guy glared back and grabbed Ian's jacket collar. "You think you're so high and mighty, don't ya? If you think you can race better than anyone else here-"

"What if I can? What you going to do about it?" Ian shot back and grabbed the other guy's wrist, the one that held his collar. They both looked like they were about to hit each other. I sighed; was this guy ever not asking for a fight?

"Knock it off, you two," another Redfountain student came in between them and broke them apart. He had long dark brown hair that was pulled back in a ponytail and soft colored skin. He looked about the same age as Keith and he was also quite handsome.

"Lee, just let it go, man," he put a hand on the other guy's shoulder. "And Ian, you should know better than to race dirty."

Wow, this guy really had his act together. There was a sense of authority around him as he stood between the two boys.

"Mind your own business, Joshua," Ian snapped. "I race however I want to and I don't need you guys or anyone else to tell me off."

With that he turned away from them and started examining his bike. The guy called Lee glared at him but Joshua shook his head and sighed. With his hand still on Lee's shoulder he guided him away from Ian. As soon as they were gone, I decided to get answers and walked over to the bike where Ian was still examining but it seemed to me that he was distracting himself.

"Not very popular, are you?" I asked.

He looked up, saw me, and sighed. "Don't you have anything better to do than criticize me?"

"Not really," I said, then smiled. He groaned and rolled his eyes, and then went back to examining his bike.

"You didn't really race dirty, did you?" I asked.

"Nobody knows the difference," he said without looking. "Whether I race clean or dirty, all that matters is that I'm good."

"Good or not, you could get disqualified or even expelled," I said.

"Why do you care?" He snapped. "I think you heard me, right? I don't need anyone to tell me off."

I folded my arms. "I don't care, and I'm not; I happen to think you're a good rider whether or not you race dirty."

He suddenly stopped and turned to look at me. His expression was surprised and a little confused; I was a little surprised myself. I didn't think I could openly admit such a thing to his face but it was how I really felt.

Ian's expression was suddenly replaced with a smirk; he looked almost amused. "I didn't think you'd say that to me," he admitted.

"Neither did I ," I said. "But I really think so; I think you did really well out there."

"Lots of practice," he said. His expression had changed; he looked almost...happy. His smirk could almost be a smile and his eyes seemed to sparkle. I suddenly felt something warm rise up inside of me; the chill that ran down my spine was gone. I felt like we were friends sharing a conversation and it felt ...rather nice.

I smiled at him. "You're certainly modest; you didn't race dirty, did you?"

He shrugged. "When you're as good as I am, people tend to get jealous and wonder if you're really racing by the rules. They'll make up any excuse for why they lost."

"That's awful," I said sadly.

"I'm used to it," he said. "And it's not like I need to prove myself to anyone."

He was certainly different; a moment ago someone accused him point-blank of cheating yet he neither denied or admitted it. No matter what those two boys thought, he didn't care; I had to admit it was admirable.

I suddenly heard Rachel's voice calling. "Violet, sweetie! We're heading back to school now!"

I turned to see my friends waving at me and waved back. "I'll be there in a second!" I called; I turned back to Ian. "I have to go now; congrats on the win."

I turned away and started walking when I heard his voice. "Have a nice night, Violet."


	6. Joshua

Chapter 6: Joshua

It was shopping day; the day Rachel forced all of us to go out and watch as she bought about thirty new things for herself and insist we buy something as well. I hate shopping; sure I liked going to art stores and bookshops but I hate buying clothes. Rachel also makes us keep an eye out for cute boys as well; she likes showing herself off in front of them and tries to make us flirt as well. It's not so painful when all of us are here; it's easier to tolerate Rachel's shopping frenzy and her constant nagging at us about our current choice of fashion and trying to persuade us to try something new. I rather like the way I dress, despite Rachel's disapproval, and I don't really care about what others think about my clothes. Now don't get me wrong; I love Rachel but sometimes I can hardly stand the things she does; I know she's only looking for me and the rest of us but I wish thatsometimes she would just lay off and accept that not all of us prefer things the way she does.

We were now at popular store called Pixie Pink, and the name complimented it. Everywhere, from all we looked around, the store was decorated with pink walls, pink butterflies, and pink hearts. Even windows had painted pink hearts on them, and all the clothes were pink; ALL. It was Rachel's favorite store but it made me want to gag. Aside from shopping, the color pink was one of listed items on my top ten most hated things. I tried to keep a straight face the whole time we were there but it made me sore inside.

"Ray, are we almost done?" Melody asked. "It looks like Violet's ready to puke."

"Oh, well then she probably won't want to try one this really cute tube top dress I found," Rachel held out a hot pink dress that had lighter pink ruffles on the the edges. I scowled and shook my head. Rachel sighed and placed the dress back on the rack.

"You might look good in pink if you just give a chance," she said.

"I did," I said. "Remember your seventh birthday party? My Mom made me come in that pink ruffly dress?."

"Oh, right," Rachel said as she remembered. "God, that was such an ugly color on you. But now that you're older and you have moi-"

"Let it go, Ray," Melody put her hand on her shoulder. "It's a fight you are NOT going to win."

"Fine, whatever," Rachel resigned with a sigh. "I'm almost done; just need to pay for the stuff I picked out for me."

"Then why don't we grab some lunch?" Isabelle suggested. "Anyone for pizza?"

"Sure, I'm game," I said; the other girls nodded in agreement. So we headed out of Pixie Pink, much to my relief, and toward a popular pizza place we all liked. We sat down at a large table and ordered a super large pizza with extra cheese, pepperoni, and olives. I like every pizza topping except anchovies and mushrooms; I never liked mushrooms. There are toad stools where I come from and those things just bring bad memories. Little funguses with a stingy odor and dark splotched tops; I picked one when I was five, not knowing what it was, ate it, and the next day my stomach was killing me. And ever since I have hated toad stools and everything that looked similar to them. Whenever I see a wild mushroom, my stomach starts to ache. This is why we decided to get a pizza without mushrooms, though Nicole protested because she likes them but she decided pizza without mushrooms was okay. We chatted away about what we liked in the other stores, laughing and joking about the bad clothes we saw, and what sort of stuff was on sale. When the waiter brought our pizza, we each took a slice and ate with delight. I love the taste of pizza; actually, we all do. It's one of our top ten favorite foods.

"Hey, Violet?" Cheyenne said while we were eating.

"Yeah, what's up?" I asked.

"You've got some pizza sauce on your chin," she said. "And on your blouse."

I looked down at my cream-colored blouse to see three small red dots on the rim of the neck. "Oh, thanks; I better go wash off."

I stood up and walked toward the bathroom, which had a sweet flower scented air freshener inside. I love the scent of flowers; my mom has a whole green house full of the sweetest scented and most beautiful flowers. I always enjoy going into her green house; I draw the flowers, all kinds, and hang them in my room at home. Whenever Mom enters my room and sees the drawings, she points out what special powers each blossom carries. It reminded me of her greenhouse when I smelled the flowery scent. When I came out of the bathroom, I was still thinking about flowers and I got distracted so then I bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I wasn't paying attention," I apologized quickly. The person turned to face me and smiled; it was Joshua.

"Don't worry about it; I was just sort of standing here," he said nicely. He sure was cute; when he smiled at me my heart skipped a beat.

"Isn't your name Violet? I heard about how you and your friends fought the witches," He extended his hand to me. "I'm Joshua; I go to Red Fountain."

"I know," I shook his hand. "I saw you the night of the exhibition."

"Did you? I didn't see you; otherwise I would've introduced myself," he said.

"Well, I was sort of lurking in the corner when you came between Ian and that other guy," I explained.

"Oh you saw that? I'm sorry you had to," He gave me a sympathetic look. "Sometimes guys can be such idiots; Lee can't stand Ian, and Ian, well, he never seems to get along with anybody quite frankly."

"Yeah, I know," I said. "We've met before."

"Oh yeah? What do you think of him?" Joshua asked.

"Well, actually I don't think he's as bad as he seems," I said.

"Really? Well, neither do I frankly," he said. "Looks like we're of the same opinion."

I nodded; I then noticed that back at our table, all the girls were watching us talk and giggling; my face suddenly got hot.

"So, um, why don't you think he's such a bad guy?" I asked Joshua; he shrugged.

"I really don't know him that well, to be honest, but I think he's just had it rough at Red Fountain," he said. "The guy are always giving him a hard time; I wish they would just give the guy a break. And he shouldn't provoke them."

I nodded. "Yeah, I think so, too; I can't really explain it, but I have a feeling Ian isn't a bad guy."

Joshua smirked. "So are you guys, like, dating or something?"

My cheeks got hotter and I waved my hands frantically. "Oh no! It's not like that at all! We're just...well..um.."

He cocked his head to one side. "Just what?"

Although I wished I could say we're just friends, I wasn't entire sure what my relationship with Ian was at that moment.

Joshua smiled. "Never mind; it doesn't matter. So if you're not seeing anyone, is it alright if I call you sometime?"

My heart leapt. "Um...sure, okay."

I wrote my phone number on his hand with a marker he gave me. After we said good bye, I walked back to our table where my friends were waiting for me. Rachel was the first to speak up.

"I am so jealous right now!" she said happily. "You two look so good together."

"Really, you do," Isabelle said; the others nodded in agreement.

"Knock it off, you guys," I was embarassed; they had seen the whole conversation. "He just asked if he could call me sometime; it's not like he asked me out."

"The phone number request always comes first, my darling," Rachel said. "Soon it won't be long."

"What were you two talking about over there?" Nicole asked.

I hesitated. "Uh, well, he goes to Red fountain and knows Ian; we both think that Ian is not a bad guy."

"Using a guy as an excuse to talk about another guy is a bad way to start," Rachel said. "Next time, try talking about your interests; whats-his-name doesn't look like he's great supporter of art, but after he falls madly in love with you, he'll surely worship the idea!"

"His name is Joshua, and I wish you wouldn't say things like that; it's embarassing," I said.

"Joshua and Violet," Rachel sighed. "I love it!"

I felt my cheeks go hot again and scowled at Rachel. Geez, when will she learn?


	7. The Phone Call

Chapter 7: The Phone Call

The girls and I were having a study session on a cool Friday evening; midterms were coming up soon and we had to be prepared. None of us wanted to be kicked out of school; so here we were, sitting in a circle, sharing a gallon of strawberry ice cream and asking each other random questions that we were figured were going to be on the written portion of the exam. All of the sudden, Isabelle's phone started ringing.

"Who is it?" Nicole asked her

"My brother," Isabelle pressed the talk button. "This better be important, Keith; you're interrupting a very important study session right now." She listened for a moment, then said to wait a minute, and then turned to me and handed me the phone. "It's for you; Keith says Ian wants to talk to you."

"Why would that jerk want to talk to her?" Melody asked but Rachel shushed her. I excused myself and walked into my room.

"I'm here, Keith," I said into the receiver.

"Ok, hold on a sec," he said. "She's on the phone, Ian."

I heard sounds and then Ian spoke. "Hi, Violet."

"Hi, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked.

"Nothing in particular; I just had a rough day and I thought, well, maybe if I talked to you, I might feel better. I'm not quite sure why, though."

I sat on the edge of my bed. "What happened exactly? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a few guys ganged up on me during lunch," he said. "I wish they would just leave me alone; they kept going on about how they thought I was trying to better than everyone else and they didn't like it."

"So what did you do?" I asked.

"Something I sort of wish I hadn't; I punched one of them," he said. "And then they started throwing punches and before I knew it, Cordatorta came in between with Krone. I didn't really mean to start a fight; those guys were just making me so angry and I just lost it, I guess. It's never happened to me before, though."

"So you got in trouble, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I got detention for a week; plus I have to clean out the stables tomorrow. So right now I'm sort of pissed off and I thought I could use some counseling, and you were the first person who came to mind."

"Well, I'm glad you decided to consult with me," I really was; I now knew I was getting through to him and it felt good. "At least you're not the one who started it, Ian; those bunch of idiots should have minded their own business."

"I wished they would have," he said. "I also would have just let it go and move on but, for some reason, I can't this time; I don't understand why this is bothering me so much."

"You really shouldn't let it get to you," I said. "Remember the exhibition? The way Lee accused you of cheating didn't seem to affect you at all; I thought it was very admirable. Who cares what those guys think, right? But maybe there's some reason why this is different?"

Ian sighed. "These guys, they're…they're the top students here at Red Fountain, and they judge people by reputation. They wanted me to join their group, and I almost did, but then I decided I didn't want to be part of a group that acts all high and might just because they're the best in school. There are a lot of people who are jealous of me already. But I still don't want those guys to think anything bad about me, because whatever they think they tell everyone else to think the same thing. There is a whole bunch of idiots that follow them like puppy dogs."  
"I see," Now I understood. "So that's why it's bothering you so much?"

"I can never win against them," he said. "They could turn the whole school against me. But I don't see why I should care. I don't really have any need for friends."

"Maybe not, but having just one friend can make things a whole lot easier," I said.

There was a pause. "I guess, though I think I can get by on my own."

"That's easy for you to say," I said. "Have you ever had any real friends before?"

"Not really," he said.

"Then it's no wonder why you think you're better off without them," I said. "Maybe if you let people get to know you better, they would understand you more thoroughly. And then they would lay off a litte."

"You make a good point," Ian said. "Though, like I said, I really don't care what others think of me."

"Maybe you should," I said; I looked at the clock on my bed stand. "Oh, boy; it's getting late. I better get back to the girls' study session before we turn in. So was I of any counselation to you, Ian?"

"Yeah, actually, you were," he said. "I really appreciate it." There was a another pause.

"Did you need something?" I asked.

"Actually, I was wondering, if you're not busy, maybe we could hang out at the city square tomorrow?" Ian asked.

Was he asking me out? I didn't think it possible but I actually did want to hang out with him. Now that Ian had finally started open up to me, I felt that we were both comfortable with being friends. And friends hang out, so it wasn't necessarily a date.

"Sure," I said. "Meet me by the fountain at noon?"

"I'll see you then," He hung up.

For the first time since we met, I was looking forward to seeing him.


	8. A Wonderful Time

Chapter 8: A Wonderful Time

Ian and I met at the fountain as planned, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, in the middle of the city center. The rest of the girls had stayed at Alfea, either studying for the exam or doing individual activities.

"So what do you want to do first?" I asked as we walked along on the sidewalk. Ian was wearing a plain, pale blue T-shirt with long sleeves and light brown cut-offs. I was wearing my favorite Saturday outfit; a sun yellow, embroided, splitneck tunic with sleeves that came down to my elbows and blue-cuffed Capri pants.

Ian shrugged. "I don't really know; why don't you decide? Just not shopping, okay?"

I smiled at him. "Don't worry; I don't really like shopping all that much."

"Oh, good," He sounded relieved. I looked around and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a Ferris wheel. There was a big amusement park set up in the open space outside the shopping center. I always loved Ferris wheels, so I tugged Ian's sleeve and pointed at it. Before he could say anything, I was already running towards the ride with him in tow.

"Did you have to pick this?" Ian said as we waited in line for the ride.

"I like Ferris Wheels," I said. "But I had no idea a carnival was going to be here today. I'm surprised none of my friends knew about it. Did you know?"  
He shook his head. "I've never been to one before."

At first, I thought he was joking but then I saw his face and blinked. "You've never been to an amusement park before?"

Ian shook his head again. "Nope, never."

"You're kidding," I stared at him in disbelief. "You mean your parents never took you to one when you were little? Every parent does that; me and my Mom and Dad did it twice every year when I was a kid."

"My parents…they don't believe in doing all that kiddy stuff," Ian said as he stared off into the distance. "And my Mom…well, she doesn't like to show herself publicly unless it's important."

"Spending time with your son isn't important?" I was astonished.

He smiled sadly. "My Mom has a different idea of what's important. She's always told me to make sure people know I exist, or else I won't get anywhere in life. Though her image has been overshadowed several times."

A couple minutes later, we were sitting next to each other on the Ferris wheel. As our arms touched, I felt my heart leap and my face get hot. Ian looked down from where we sat and gave a whistle.

"We're really high up," he said.

"Not scared, are you?" I teased.

"No" He glanced at me.

As the wheel turned, I held my hands up and laughed. Soon enough, Ian started to smile and laugh, too. It made me even happier to see that he was having fun. When we got off the ride, we spotted a stand for a water-squirting contest. We each took a blaster and squirted water into the tubes. My tube was full four seconds before Ian's tube was; I chose a small keychain as my prize. It was best suited because it fit into my purse and then none of my friends would see it. After that, we exited the amusement park and started walking along on the sidewalk again.

"So how did you like your very first visit to an amusement park?" I asked Ian.

"It was fun; we'll have to do it again sometime," he said. "So what now?"  
I decided to take him rolling skating, so we headed to the outdoor skate park. As we put on our skates, Ian wobbled at he stood up and fell down twice. I giggled as he stood back up.

"I have never been on roller skates before, either." He said.

'_You don't say,' _I thought. I shook my head and smiled at him, offering my hand. As he took it, my heart started pounding and my cheeks went hot. I led Ian onto the skating rink and helped him glide. So there we were, hand in hand, skating with about forty other people, in a huge skating rink. My heart was still pounding; did it look like we were on a date? I knew that holding hands signified the notion but I wouldn't be holding Ian's hand if he did know how to skate. I surprisingly realized that I actually liked holding holds with him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ian asked suddenly.

I smiled at him. "Yeah, of course. How about you?"

"I think I'm getting the hang of this," He said.

"Think you can do it by your own now? Or do you still want to hold onto me?" I asked.

"I don't think I can handle it just yet," He said.

I nodded; it was clear that Ian could probably now race all around the rink in a heart beat but, for some reason, he didn't seem to want to let go of my hand. After roller-skating, we grabbed a bite to eat at a burger joint. I had a veggie burger while Ian had a steak sandwich.

"So why did you decide to hang out with me?" I asked while we ate.

"I guess I just wanted to get my mind off of what happened," Ian said. "And I just felt like hanging out with you; you're…a good person."

"Why, thank you," I smiled. "I am really having a good time."

He smiled back. "So am I".

"Why don't you decide what we should do next?" I suggested.

He thought for a moment. "After getting dizzy for the Ferris wheel, and almost falling down while roller-skating, I think I would prefer if we just take a walk on the beach."

"I like that idea," I said.

So after lunch, we walked over the beach. We took off our shoes and strolled by the seashore side by side. It was really kind of romantic; just the two of us not saying anything, watching the bluish-green waves roll onto the shore. My heart started pounding again.

"It's a wonderful sight, isn't it?" Ian asked; I nodded.

"Yeah, it is," I said. "It's so peaceful."

He chuckled. "That's just the kind of thing most people would say about watching the ocean."

"But it's true," I said. "The ocean seems to have it's own magic; the scenery takes you to a different place and, for a moment, you forget what's going on."  
He dug his hands into his pant pockets and stared off at the water. "Yeah, you're right. I have to admit, if there's one thing I like about this place, it's the beach."

"What other things do you like?" I asked.

He looked at me and then smiled. "Well, there's one thing I'm beginning to like even more than watching the ocean."

My heart leapt; was he talking about me? I smiled back and our eyes met; his seemed to sparkle as he smiled. There was something else in his eyes but I couldn't tell what it was. It was warm, soft, and gentle, yet a little disturbing. I felt a chill run down my spine.

"Violet…" Ian began but he was cut off by the sound of my cell phone ringing. He smiled and looked back at the ocean as I answered it.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hi, Violet," Joshua's voice replied.

Suddenly I was nervous. "Oh…hi Joshua."

I saw Ian suddenly turn around as I said his name, a confused look on his face.

"Is this a bad time?" Joshua asked.

"Not really," I said. "I'm hanging out with a friend right now and we were just walking on the beach, so um…"

"Hey, it's no problem," Joshua said kindly. "I just wanted to say hi; I was just bored sitting here in my room and thought I'd call you to see what you're up to."

My cheeks went hot; he wasn't going to ask me out on a date, was he? Oh, why did I had to meet and become friends with him before I made plans with Ian? And what was Ian going to think? That Joshua and I were a couple? That we had made plans and I canceled to hang out with him? What was I going to do?

"Well, it's nice of you to call, Joshua, but I think I better go now," I said trying not to sound so nervous.

"Okay; is everything alright with you?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine; bye," I hung up and looked over at Ian, who was walking away.

"Ian, wait!" I caught up to him. As I reached his side he didn't even stop or look at me.

"It's not what you think," I started to explain.

"You don't even know what I'm thinking," he said while still not looking at me. "But you're welcome to guess."

I bit my lip. "Well…I think that you're thinking I had another date and I blew it off to hang with you. Or maybe you think Joshua like me or I'm dating him? Either way, that's not it."

"Then tell me," he finally stopped walking and looked me, crossing his arms.

"We met at a restaurant a few days ago," I explained. "But we've never met before that, if you don't count when at the exhibition he broke up that argument you had with that other guy. We both had something in common; it was you. We both think you're not a bad guy."

He stared at me. "Do you like him?"

"I do, but not the way you think," Joshua was a nice and cute, but I had suddenly realized I wasn't romantically interested in him at all. I was falling for Ian.

"So…you're not interested in him?" Ian asked me.

I shook my head. "No"

He looked relieved. "That's all I wanted to know."

I smiled and he smiled back. We continued to walk along the beach together; with him at my side, I wanted the day to never end.


	9. Drawing

Chapter 9: Drawing

Ian and I were starting to become good friends after our day together. We went out to lunch, talked on the phone, laughing about silly stuff, and shared our interests. Ian really admired my artwork when I showed it to him; I showed all the work I had done and saved over the past three years. I had done sketches that were mostly of my friends, together or individual, my parents, animals, flowers, and even complete strangers.

"These are really good," Ian commented as he flipped through one of my portfolios. We were sitting on a bench in the park, eating sandwiches and drinking cold soda, on a warm, sunny afternoon. I had brought one of my newest collections of drawings to show, the one Ian was now flipping through and taking in each masterpiece.

"I've had a lot of practice," I said. "See, my dad's an artist, too; he began teaching me how to use antique art equipment. People think it's faster and easier to use digital art sets but not us. Me and my dad both prefer to draw the old fashion way."

"You certainly can't capture something like this with a digital set," Ian said. "Your drawings look so real."

"I glad you like them," I smiled and reached over to pick up my bag. I fished around inside and took out a tablet and a pencil. "Because I'd like you to be my next model."

He laughed. "I really don't model," He said.

"Please?" I begged. "Just one?"

He rolled his eyes and smirked. "Oh, okay," he relented. "Where do you want me to be?"

I scanned the area. "That place over there with the trees is good," I said. "And the lighting is almost perfect."

He nodded; we cleaned up our lunch and walked to the spot I had chosen. Ian leaned against one of the larger trees, the lower of him was in the sunlight and the tree's branches mostly shaded the upper part of him. He looked away, towards the ocean, which was across the park, and kept his face straight, no smiling or anything, as I told him to. I sat down on a rock and opened the tablet. I began by sketching shapes, always the best way to start because it is simple and easy, and also the best way to shape the object of the drawing. I then added the details; I glanced up now and then to see if I was getting every detail in my drawing right. I added Ian's eyes, which were a sort of an olive green color, and drew the shape of his chin into a point. His nose was small and slender, and his mouth stayed in a straight line. Through an opening the leaves on the tree's limbs, sunlight shone down on his white hair, which added a nice touch. Both the Ian in my drawing and the real Ian were very handsome, and as I thought so my heart started pounding and I quickened my pace at the sketch. Within a few minutes, I was finished and then I realized Ian wasn't paying attention to me at all. His gaze was hooked onto the blue waters of the ocean; his eyes were moist and misty, and seemed to glimmer in the light. He seemed far off, though he was just several feet away from where I sat on my rock; it was his eyes that gave the impression that he was in another world. The expression on his face was one I did not expect to see; I saw awe and rapture, but also disdain and dissatisfaction. I was fascinated with it and I wished I had captured it in my drawing.

Suddenly Ian turned his head to look at me. "All done?" He asked.

I nodded. "Though I wish I could have drawn the face you had on a minute ago; it would make the sketch even more good."

"Well, you were right about the ocean," he said. "It does take you to another place."

"It sure does; you really looked like you weren't in Magix at all," I said. He smiled and looked back at the water.

"I've always been fascinated with the ocean," he said. "Ever since I was little; I grew up in an isolated realm, where there are no oceans or open spaces for running or playing. The only time I would get to see places like those was when my mother took on business with her. But I never got to go swimming because the water was always ice-cold. So I could only look at it and imagine what wonders were beyond those waters."

He sat down next to me and our arms touched. My face went hot and my heart started pounding again. Ian didn't seem to notice as he looked around, his white hair flowing in the breeze. I pulled a strand of black hair away from my face and combed my finger through tangled locks. Then I racked my brain for something to say.

"So…um…wanna see my sketch?" I held out the tablet and Ian took from me. He scuffed and shook his head. "I told you I don't model," he said. "Your other drawings are spectacular, but my face and body are just not made for doing sketches."

"I think it looks great," I said.

"You're just saying that," He said.

"And what if I am?" I retorted.

"Well…um…" he paused and his face went red. I thought it was just adorable when he blushed. "I think it's very…courteous of an artist of your talent to compliment me even though I don't deserve it."

I laughed, and then he started laughing as well. When our heads touched, we stopped laughing and started blushing. Then there was a long pause.

"So…want a ride back to school?" Ian asked me; I nodded.

We didn't say much as we rode on his levabike to Alfea, though this time my heart pounded as I held onto him. Once we reached the front of my school, I hopped off and thanked him for the ride. He just sat there on his bike.

"What is it?" I asked.

"There's something I want to ask you," he said. "Violet, would you, um, like to have dinner with me next Friday?"

I smiled. "I'd love to; pick me up at 8:00?"

"Sure," he smiled back and then he took off. I squealed, and then looked around quickly to make sure no one had heard me. Fortunately, there was nothing but a flock of ducks. I ran inside the building and up to my dorm where my friends were hanging out. I already couldn't wait until Friday.


	10. First Date

**Author's Note: Sorry this took so long, everybody; I had school and kind of blew off this chapter for too long. Anyway, here's chapter 10, enjoy! :)**

* * *

Chapter 10: First Date

"So, what do you think?" Rachel asked me.

I looked at myself in the mirror; it was the night where Ian and I were having dinner together and Rachel was helping me get ready. Standing in front of the large mirror, which showed my entire body, I looked up and down at my reflection. I was in a lilac-colored, strapless dress that went down to my knees and was loose at the bottom. My shoulders were covered with short-sleeved, open-faced, dark purple cover top that stopped below my breasts. My black hair was pulled back into a bun and my face was covered in make up. I also wore earrings and a necklace to match.

"I don't know, Ray; it seems a bit much," I said, though I had to admit that I looked great.

"No, it's not; it's just right," she contradicted. "Even if it's just a casual dinner, there's no harm in overdoing it just a little bit."

"Wow, Violet, you look beautiful," Isabelle entered my room.

"You really think so?" I asked. She nodded. "Definitely; Ian's going to fall all over you tonight."

The sound of levabike whizzing alerted me that Ian was here. With one last quick look at my face in the mirror, I said goodbye to both my friends, who wished me good luck, and hurried downstairs, across the courtyard, and out the front gate, where Ian was waiting for me, a red rose in his right hand. He took off his helmet and stared at me wide-eyed. My friends were right; I was glad I let them help me get dressed.

"Wow, you look…wow," Ian started, and then he continued to stare at me. I blushed and looked down at my shoes, which were black. Ian handed me the rose as I climbed on behind him on the levabike.

"I'll try to avoid anything that might get your dress dirty," he said, and then we were off.

"So where are we going?" I asked.

"A friend of mine told me about this really great restaurant that's on the shore of the lake," Ian said. "I thought it would be appropriate for a casual dinner."

"I can't wait!" I exclaimed and held tighter to him.

It took about ten to twenty minutes until we finally reached the restaurant. It was called Del Lago and it was small, but looked great. The inside was decorated like the outside, with colorful flowers and seashells hanging from the ceiling; there was a very large veranda where people who ate outside were seated. The waiter seated us at a table for two, and Ian pulled out my chair like a true gentleman would.

"I have to admit, the atmosphere is wonderful," I said as we scanned through our menus.

"I heard this place had a great view of the lake," Ian nodded toward the beautiful view that was right next to us. The sun was coming down, displaying a tremendous morale of color, and it was breathtaking.

"Oh, yes," I sighed. "So who was this friend of yours that told you about this place?"

"Oh, he's just someone I met on the street named Jace" Ian said. "He doesn't go to Red Fountain but he knows the whole city of Magix from the shopping center to the lake. That's how he knew about Del Lago."

"Do you have many friends outside Red Fountain?" I asked.

"Just a few," he said. "They're good guys; we get along real well with each other. Better than how I get along with the guys at school."

"Are you ready to order now?" Our waiter had returned. I ordered spaghetti while Ian ordered the shrimp platter.

"You're really into things that are sea-related, aren't you?" I asked him as our waiter left.

"I have other interests," Ian said. "Such as bikes, especially levabikes, and I do enjoy a good book every once in awhile."

"So you are into reading," I said. "Why didn't you say so?"

He shrugged. "I don't know; guess I didn't think it was worth mentioning. I didn't really realize it was something we had in common."

"It would seem that we have a few things in common," I said.

"I guess you were right, then," Ian said.

The waiter brought over our food and we began eating. I love spaghetti; it is one of my favorite foods. And the spaghetti at Del Lago's was excellent; the sauce was thick and tasted like real sweet tomatoes, and had white cheese sprinkled on top, and served on thin pasta. Ian's plate had pink shrimp covered honey sauce. He cracked off the shells and ate the meat.

"How is it?" I asked between bites of my spaghetti.

"Pretty good, but I've tasted better," he said after finishing a scallop.

"I don't know if I can say the same about the spaghetti; it's delicious," I said.

"It looks good, too," he said. "Maybe I should ordered the spaghetti instead of the shrimp."

After we finished our dinner, the waiter came over and offered us dessert. We both agreed on the two-scoop dish of vanilla ice cream. I personally like cookie dough ice cream with walnuts better than any kind of ice cream, but since they didn't have that, I settle with vanilla since I liked it, too. The waiter brought it over with two spoons so that we could share and we dug in.

"You know, my mom and I used to go out and get ice cream all the time," Ian said. "She'd get cool mint and I'd get either chocolate or strawberry."

"I thought you said your parents didn't believe in doing that kiddy stuff," I said. "Buying your son ice cream sounds pretty kiddy to me."

"My mom loves ice cream," he said after taking a big bite of ice cream. "So do I; she and I have a certain weakness for it. I've seen her eat for breakfast once in awhile."

I giggled. "I guess some parents don't really understand the concept of a 'healthy breakfast'."

We ate up all the ice cream, and then decided to take a stroll down by the shore of the lake. It was like when we walked on the beach back in Magix, except we were holding hands. My heart pounded softly as my gripped Ian's; I didn't want to let go. The scenery was perfect; along with the lake's water glimmering in the in the light of the sunset dying down, the soft, green grass and the trees surrounding us with their long, dark green branches seemed to make things less awkward between us as we held each other's hands.

"It's nice out here, isn't it?" Ian asked.

I nodded. "I have always liked being outdoors; back home, me, my mom, and my friends would play in our garden all the time. It was a great place to play in the summertime; the sunset was wonderful there, too. At night, my friends and I would have campouts in my backyard. We'd roast marshmallows, tell ghost stories, try catch fireflies, and watch the night sky for a falling star."

"Sounds like fun," Ian said.

"Oh, it was," I said. "Sometimes I wish all of us were little kids again; all this talk about high school and homework, boys, and being forced to go shopping with Rachel makes me miss the old days, where we just play games and enjoy each other's company. Not that it's changed much; we are still the very best of friends, like our moms are, and we still play games at our sleepovers, just not the kid games."

"It sounds like you're all really close," Ian said. "You're lucky to have them."

"I know; I love them all to bits," I said. "And you know, I'm glad we started hanging out, too."

There was a pause and I looked onward. The cool breeze blew my hair backward from my head and whistled in my ears. It was a wonderful sensation.

"Violet…" I turned to the sound of Ian's voice, and then he leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine.

* * *

**Just in case you're wondering, "Del Lago" is Italian for "Of the Lake". I thought it would be appropriate since the Winx original dub was in Italian**


	11. First Kiss

Chapter 11: First Kiss

Of all the times my heart had pounded whenever I was with Ian, this time it beat so hard that I thought it might burst. The warmth of his lips pressed against mine and his glimmering white bangs brushed my cheek; a chill ran down my spine as his strong arms wrapped around me, holding me to him. I moaned in his mouth and slowly slid my arms around his neck and he pulled me closer. And at that moment it seemed the world around us disappeared; there was just the two of us, grasping onto one another, in a place where there was nothing to hear but the beat of our hearts and the soft moans that slipped out of our mouths between kissing. It was the most incredible feeling I had ever had; I had never felt anything like this before when I kissed other boys. The feeling that took me away when Ian and I kissed was unforgettable. I knew right then and there that I cared for Ian in a way that was deep and unlike the way I cared for each of my friends and family, and also unlike anything I had ever felt before.

Ian pulled away, and for a few seconds we didn't say anything but took in short breaths. I looked up and our eyes met; I could see a shimmer of light of happiness glistening in his eyes as he smiled at me.

"I've been wanting to do that…for awhile," he said. My cheeks went hot as I smiled back at him.

"Sorry if it took you by surprise a little," he went on. "But I just had to do it, whether or not you wanted to, and I just…couldn't hold myself back."

"You shouldn't feel sorry at all," I said. "It felt good, really it did."

"It felt good for me, too," Ian said. "This whole night I've felt good; in fact, every time I'm with you, I feel good."

"I feel good when I'm with you, too, Ian," I said. "You are really special to me."

He looked at me without saying anything, and then suddenly his arms were me, pulling me close to him. My heart beat softly as he held me.

"You aren't the first person to tell me I'm special," Ian said. "But you are the first person to have ever made me feel special, Violet. Whenever I'm with you, there's just…there are no words to describe how I feel."

His actions didn't take me back, but his words did. Never had I heard him speak in a way that was so sincere and heartfelt. Neither of us said anything as we held onto each other as the night sky fell. We kissed again, driven by the passion that welled up in our hearts. What I felt, Ian felt as well; our hearts were one. I could feel it as we kissed and held onto each other.

As we rode back to Alfea afterward, I held on to Ian as tight as I could, wanting to feel his warmth. As we pulled in front of the gates of Alfea, I got off and Ian pulled off his helmet. We drew close and shared one final kiss before saying good night. I watched him ride off until he disappeared into the trees, and then headed up to the dormitory. I could hear my friends talking and laughing from the outside of our dorm. I tried to push back the images and feelings that still stirred in my mind of when Ian and I kissed. As I opened the door, Rachel was right in my face, smiling broadly.

"So? So?" She bounced up and down with anxiety. "How was it? Where did you guys go to eat? Was it romantic? Did you kiss?"

"Rachel, slow down," Isabelle scolded her. "Give her room to breath and let her talk."

"I can't help it, Izzy; I've been waiting all night!" Rachel said.

"So did you have a good time?" Melody asked me. I nodded

"Yes, it was lovely," I said. "We ate at a place called Del Lago and the food was great; then we took a walk near the lake and-" I paused and my cheeks went hot. It was a little embarrassing to tell them that we had kissed but my friends had already read my thoughts by the look on my face.

"You kissed!" Rachel squealed. "It's written all over your face! I can't believe it!"

"Keep it down, Ray," Melody said. "You don't want to wake up the hall school, do you?"

I smiled and blushed.


	12. The Confession

Chapter 12: The Confession

I couldn't take my mind off the night where Ian and I shared our first kiss. In class, the teacher had to tell me to three times to pay attention because I was in my own world. When I imagined it, I could still feel the warmth of Ian's lips pressing against mine, and it made my heart race. My friends asked all sorts of questions that night after I came back to the dorm, and I answered only half paying attention while the other half on my mind still on the kiss. They wanted to know everything; it was just what I had expected because we always never fail to leave out a single detail about something important. But I didn't feel like going through all the details and so I just left them hanging at the last question, which I forget was, and went to bed. I think Rachel was disappointed the most; this was the kind of thing she looked forward to. Hearing all about the date and then asking questions that called for detail.

Isabelle was proud of me and supported me, which was just how I expected her to do. She is rather good at reading people, especially me, and could tell that Ian had become very special to me. But I could read her, too, and as she said she was happy for me when we were talking about Ian and me one afternoon, I could see a flash of concern and a slight glint of envy. I smiled and hugged her.

"Hey, don't worry," I said. "Ian's a great guy, really, and even if he's special to me, he could never take the place of you or the others. "

She hugged me back. "I'm glad to hear you say that, but I already know it. I don't know what's bothering me; I guess I'm just feeling a little…edgy."

"You worry too much," I pulled away. "I can take care of myself and Ian would never do anything to hurt me, Izzy. We care about each other a lot."

"I can't believe how grown up you are," Isabelle said as she mockingly sniffed and wiped away an imaginary tear.

I whacked her very lightly on the shoulder and as giggled as she did.

Ian and I saw each other very often after school and on the weekends. When we went roller-skating again, he took me by the hand and led me all around the ring. Then he pulled me close and wrapped his arms me, and I sighed with content. I felt so at peace in his arms.

I drew multiple pictures of him at the park, roller-skating, by the beach, and on his levabike. The girls thought I had more drawings of him than of anyone else. When I showed them to Ian, he said my artistic talent was wasted on such a guy, though I begged to differ. I thought he was the best subject I had ever done.

One evening after school we sat under a large oak tree watching the sunset. I laid my head on Ian's shoulder and he put his arm around me.

"It's so beautiful," I said in awe.

"Not as beautiful as you," Ian said and kissed my forehead. I giggled and nuzzled his neck.

"Well, you're pretty good-looking yourself," I said.

"I get it from my Mom," he said and then he paused and his faced got very serious.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's just…" he looked at me. "I don't think my Mom would approve of us being together. She has a…. thing about fairies."

"Well, maybe that's just because she hasn't met me yet," I said. "Have you told her about me?"

"Yes, and she's not too happy about it," Ian said. "In fact, she's rather ticked off; even after I told how important you are to me, she still doesn't like it." He paused again and sighed. "And she has met you, Violet; you and your friends."

I was confused. "Why do you mean?"

He looked at me with sad eyes and then got up, turning his back to me. I could tell that something was on his mind and it wasn't good. Ian ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, and then he turned to look at me.

"Violet, I haven't been completely honest with you, or anyone else for that matter," he said. "There's something about me you don't know; it's about Icy."

"Icy?" Now I was really confused.

He took a deep breath. "Icy is…she is my mother, Violet; I'm Icy's son."

At that my moment, my heart stopped. The world around me went dark and cold, and I couldn't breath. _'No…'_ I thought. _'No…it can't be…it just can't…'_

I backed away from Ian; my eyes were so wide I thought they'd pop out.

"No…that can't be…" Those were the only words I could get out at the moment.

Ian looked at me sorrowfully. "Can be and is; Icy, the witch who is your, your mother's, and your friends' enemy, is my mother."

"But…no… " I said and turned away from him. I couldn't believe it; I didn't want to believe it. My chest ached and tears threatened to pour of my eyes. I just couldn't believe what I had just heard. If Ian were Icy's son, then that would make us enemies. It would explain why he treated us the way he did when we first met, but I never that this might be the case. I really thought he had just been mislead or had a rough life. I never thought badly of him and after we had kissed I knew I never could. But what about now, when he had told that he was my enemy's son? I just didn't what to think.

"You're really upset, aren't you?" Ian asked suddenly. "I can understand why; I've led you on, thinking I was just some misfit, anti-social, motorbike dude who had a chip on his shoulder when I'm really the son of one of your mother's worst enemies. I felt terrible about lying to you and so I knew I had to tell you the truth, no matter how you'd take it."

He came up behind me and slowly wrapped his arms around me. At that moment, I felt at peace again and I almost forgot what had just happened.

"I am so sorry for lying to you, Violet," Ian whispered. "But I didn't I'd ever fall for you, so I didn't think I'd ever feel guilty about lying to you. But the more I got to know you, the harder it was to keep the truth a secret. "  
I said nothing but I let him hold me because it made me feel better.

"I love you," Ian said. "Truly, I love you very much, Violet. And I don't know if you'd ever forgive me but I still love you."

I inhaled and exhaled loudly, letting out a large sob-sounding noise. I wiped away the lingering tears in my eyes that still hadn't fallen, and then turned to face Ian's chest.

"I love you," I said and I meant it; even if he was Icy's son, it didn't change the way I felt. Ian was someone I knew I could never hate.

"I love you," I said again. "Even if you're Icy's son, I still love you. It hurts, yes, but not as much as it would if I were to lose you."

Ian kissed the top of my head and held me in his arms. We said nothing and held onto one another as if we would never let go.

"I really am sorry," he said.

"I know," I said. "So what now?"

Before he could reply, there was a loud noise that came from behind us.

"Get away from my son, you little pixie!" A familiar voice screeched.

We looked and floating in the air was Icy looking daggers at me in her son's arms.

"Mother…" Ian said

"Icy…" I whispered.


End file.
